


Diving into murky waters

by Ingol



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Depression, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Schizophrenia, basically we have two of the most chaotic good doctors ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29779584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ingol/pseuds/Ingol
Summary: Sometimes friendship starts with breaking into a government facility, rescuing someone who was coerced into working there and then treating the genetic disease of that someone's entire family....what do you mean that's not what happened??
Kudos: 3





	Diving into murky waters

**Author's Note:**

> Going through all my unfinished fics and posting whatever looks good  
> As per the norm, this might never get finished  
> This was written a few years back, so might not entirely be canon compliant

“Umm…” The man started.

“…”

“…”

“…Egyn?” Mia tested.

At his nod, she stared. “How did you get so tall?”

“Seconded.” Kaito added. He gave Egyn an appreciative once-over. “You look good with blue hair.”

“Oh! Um- Thanks!” Egyn said.

* * *

“You have a yacht?” Egyn asked curiously.

“What? Us? No way. We’re too broke for that.” Mia said dismissively.

“T-Then what are we doing here?”

“Most of these yachts haven’t ever had a good run in a while. Might as well borrow ‘em from the owners.” Kaito said. “Ah, that one. Doesn’t look like it has a GPS.” He patted the side of the yacht.

“Ooh! Do you think we can hotwire it?” Mia asked.

“Wha- waitwaitwait! You- you’re stealing?” Egyn shrieked.

“Shhh!” Mia shushed him, furtively glancing around.

“It’s called ‘borrowing’. We’ll return it.” Kaito said.

“...” Egyn gaped at the both of them, speechless. Then he turned around and started walking away. “The two of you stay there. I’ll get my keys.”

* * *

“Something you should tell us?” Kaito asked dryly, seated upon a luxurious yacht.

“At least you didn’t need to hotwire this one.” Mia added, peering over Egyn’s shoulder as he maneuvered the yacht into deeper waters with a skill that spoke of experience.

“If I let you two do what you wanted, I’d have to bail you out of jail!” Egyn huffed.

“Aww, love you too.” Mia sang, patting his shoulder affectionately.

Egyn continued grumbling to himself.

“This looks custom made.” Kaito said, walking up to Egyn and observing the controls.

“It is.” Egyn let go of the steering wheel. The yacht slowly glided to a stop.

“Ehhh? Egyn, you’re that rich?” Mia asked, tiptoeing to drape her arms over the man’s shoulders. She pouted. “You’re so tall now. It was easier to hug you when you were still in that shark costume.”

“That- That- That was- It was comfortable!” Egyn protested.

“Well, it certainly felt comfy.” Mia agreed easily.

“You’re only calling Egyn tall ‘cos you’re short.” Kaito said, a good head taller than Egyn.

Mia scowled. “I’m not short! Egyn just had a growth spurt!”

“G-Growth spurt?” Egyn spluttered. “How old do you two think I am?” He shrieked.

“Eighteen.” “Twenty.” Mia and Kaito said at the same time. The two of them blinked at each other.

“Wha-? How’s Egyn twenty?” Mia asked. “He was still small two years ago!”

“Some guys have late growth spurts!” Kaito refuted.

Two pairs of eyes turned to Egyn. Egyn who was staring at them with dead eyes. “I’m not human, you idiots!”

Blink. Blink.

“Well… you certainly look human.” Kaito said awkwardly.

Egyn twitched. “I can understand him, but you?” He directed at Mia. “You studied my cells for three years!”

Mia glanced away. “I thought your condition was a hereditary thing.” She mumbled, a flush rising on her cheeks.

Egyn gaped at her.

“I mean, it was the first time I saw something like that. And your family had it too, so I just assumed it was some kind of rare genetic disorder.” Mia shrugged uncomfortably.

“To be fair, we’ve seen a lot weirder than a guy walking around in a shark costume back in college.” Kaito said.

“I-I’m not weird! It’s comfortable!” Egyn protested.

“It’s okay to be weird. Kaito used to ‘borrow’ motorcycles to get to class on time.” Mia waved a hand about dismissively. “And I used to get him to open windows so that I could climb through them to get to class before the professor.”

Egyn stared wide-eyed at them.

“I think the weirdest person around here is you. What kind of freak gets through med school in a single year?” Kaito directed at Mia.

“Rude! It’s called genius.” Mia flipped her hair, looking at the both of them smugly.

“You’ve said that so many times but I haven’t seen it yet.” Egyn deadpanned.

Mia turned to him, her jaw falling open in shock. Kaito laughed. “See? Egyn’s saying that too!”

“Wahhh! Give me back my cute little Egyn!” Mia wailed, jumping up and wrapping her arms around Egyn’s neck. Egyn stumbled backwards, taken aback by the sudden assault.

“I’m older than you!” Egyn snapped, arms flying up to catch and support Mia’s weight before she could drag him down with her.

* * *

Mia collapsed against the railing, bending low enough that her fingers could almost touch the waves.

“If you go any lower, you’ll fall into the sea.” Kaito said, leaning against the railing.

Mia hummed.

Egyn sat on a deck chair and contented himself with watching the two of them.

There was a long moment of silence.

“Don’tcha think it’s pretty?” Mia asked.

“What is?” Kaito glanced at her.

“The sea.” Mia said quietly. A wave splashed against the yacht, rocking it gently. Mia slid back down onto the wooden deck, rubbing her wet hand against her pants. “Reminds me of The Little Mermaid.”

“Anderson’s work?” Kaito asked.

“Yeah…” Mia breathed out. “Have you read it, Egyn?” She turned to the demon.

“No.” Egyn said.

“Wanna hear about it then?” Mia walked to his side, sitting on the chair opposite him.

“…Okay.”

Mia closed her eyes, bringing the tale to mind. “Far out at sea, down on the sea-bed do the sea-folk live…”

* * *

_I am nothingness. The destruction to creation. The end to the beginning._

_The world was coming to an end._

_Darkness loomed over the once-bright sky. No stars could be seen, despite the rare absence of light pollution. Street lamps had fallen over, glass shattered, paint washed away to reveal a coating of rust._

_Walls had crumbled, taken over by invasive plants that coiled and broke through the plaster, forming a ruin of green._

_Cracks formed on the asphalt roads, shattering concrete and stone, leaving an uneven path to a future teetering between uncertainty and a definite end._

_There was no one, not a single human._

_A dark mass wisped into existence._

_The abyss opened its eyes._

**_Do you see, my child?_ **

* * *

Kaito woke up, stifling the instinctive gasp that rose to his throat. Slowly, he craned his head, looking around. This… this wasn’t his and Mia’s cabin. He made to rub his eyes but found his left hand occupied, half-squashed under Egyn. At Egyn’s other side, Mia was resting her head against the demon’s arm, deep in sleep and wouldn’t wake up even if the world was ending.

That’s right… He thought, slowly going through his memories. They were on Egyn’s yacht. And they had all conked out after piling together for some drunken storytelling. Or he and Mia had, and Egyn just rolled with it.

Kaito laid his head back down on the bed.

That dream…

The thought of sleeping, of staring back into that abyss, or maybe even seeing a continuation of that dream scared him.

Kaito lifted his right hand and rubbed his face. When had he become such a coward?

As slowly and gently as he could, Kaito slowly slid his hand out from under Egyn. Then, ungracefully, he rolled off the bed and barely caught himself before he could hit the floor.

Through the darkness of the room, he managed to scrounge up a bottle of alcohol from the stash he and Mia had brought in. Kaito popped the bottle open and stepped out of the room, into the cold air of the sea.

Kaito squinted, barely making out the railing. He walked towards it and slumped against the support. Like this, he could feel the sea foam brushing against his bare feet. He could see why Mia liked this, he thought distantly even as he curled his toes at the cold temperature. Wisps of shadows danced in front of him, obscuring the silhouettes of the mountains. 

Kaito sighed and took a long swig of alcohol.

The door opened and closed. “You woke up in the middle of the night to drink?” Egyn asked flatly, stepping out onto the deck.

Kaito shrugged. Wordlessly, he offered the bottle to Egyn.

Despite the darkness, he could vaguely tell that Egyn was giving him a deeply judgemental look.

“You get grumpy when you’re tired.” Kaito observed.

Egyn scoffed. He took the bottle from Kaito and took a large gulp.

“Did I wake you? Sorry.” Kaito turned his eyes to the stars above.

“…Don’t be.” Egyn said. Kaito could hear the slosh of liquid against glass as Egyn swirled the bottle around. There was a pause before Egyn handed the bottle back to Kaito.

The air was starting to give him chills. Kaito ran a hand down the bumps on his arm. He swallowed another mouthful, felt it burn down his throat. His ears were ringing again.

“Humans are weird.” Egyn said, rejecting Kaito’s offer of the bottle again. “It doesn’t even taste good.”

“Mia brought some of the sweet stuff you liked too.” Kaito said. “She put the cans in the fridge.”

“Did you really wake up just to drink?” Egyn asked. Kaito could feel the demon’s gaze on him.

“Had a weird dream.” Kaito said. “I don’t want to think about it.”

“What did you dream about?” Egyn asked.

“Are you actually curious?” Kaito couldn’t help but ask.

He could vaguely see Egyn shrug.

“…I think I saw the end of the world.” Kaito said, despite how uneasy the dream made him. “Never thought I’d say this outside of some hallucinogen-induced haze… but… I think the abyss has eyes.”

“What? Armumahel?” Egyn muttered. “You saw him?”

Kaito almost dropped the glass bottle. “Please don’t tell me I’m some prophet now.”

“Hardly. You have no relation to my older brother.” Egyn said.

At Kaito’s continued silence, he sighed and grabbed Kaito’s elbow, pulling him back to the room. “Go sleep. Humans lose brain cells when they don’t get enough rest. You’re enough of an idiot as it is.”

“Hey.” Kaito protested weakly, stumbling along.

“…Be-Besides… I’m, I’m here. So…” Egyn trailed off, fidgeting.

Kaito let out a short laugh. “I get it. Thanks, Egyn.”

* * *

“Wake up!” Mia sang, pulling the covers off the both of them.

Egyn flipped over, burying his face in the mattress.

Kaito groaned, covering his eyes with an arm.

“What’s up with you two? Had a midnight rendezvous without me?” Mia asked.

Kaito choked.

Mia blinked. “Seriously? What scandalous things did you get up to?”

“Kaito woke up at midnight to drink.” Egyn tattled without any hesitation at all.

Kaito closed his eyes. They were both dead to him.

* * *

“That sounds like the kinda dream you’d have drugged up with hallucinogens.” Mia said.

“That’s what I said.” Kaito agreed.

“It’s Armumahel.” Egyn corrected them tiredly.

“I mean, I don’t think it matters. You’re the only demon we need to know.” Mia beamed at Egyn.

Egyn shifted, looking away. “I don’t even know why I know you.” He grumbled to himself.

“Science buddies.” Kaito said, nodding to himself. “Nothing screams best friend more than breaking in and out of a government facility to cross-reference data.”

Egyn blinked, looking from Kaito to Mia. “What government facility?”

A worried pause. “…The government facility we found you in?” Mia said slowly. “The one doing unethical human experimentation? You know, the one that coerced you into working for them?”

Another long pause. Egyn could feel his soul threatening to leave his body.

“Was that not what happened?” Kaito asked, staring at Egyn.

Wordlessly, Egyn stood up, walked to the bed and proceeded to bury himself under the covers.

“He just noped us!” Egyn heard Mia say hysterically.

“I’m- I’m not talking about that.” Egyn said when Mia and Kaito finally managed to pull him out from beneath the covers.

“We weren’t going to ask.” Kaito said dryly.

“Yeap!” Mia said, popping the ‘p’. “Come on, breakfast’s getting cold.”

Grudgingly, Egyn let himself be led to the table again where he stared blankly at the pancakes.

“What, you want me to handfeed you? How direct.” Mia teased.

Egyn gave her a glare and sulkily took a bite.

“It- It’s good.” He said, surprised.

“Duh. Mia improved her cooking a lot in the two years you were gone.” Kaito said.

“I kinda wanna eat grilled squid.” Mia said abruptly.

“How’d you go from pancakes to squid?” Kaito asked.

“I dunno. I mean. Pancakes. Nothing goes better with pancakes than squid.” Mia poked at the pancake with a fork.

“It doesn’t.” Kaito said slowly. “Squid does not go well with pancakes.”

“It does!”

“Does not!”

“Does too!”

The two of them glared at each other, then turned to Egyn.

Egyn flinched back. “I’ve… never tried…?” He said weakly.

* * *

“What the hell is that?” Mia asked, squinting at the large ripple barely a few metres away. “Is it a whale? No whale should be this close to the shore.”

“…I don’t think it’s a whale.” Kaito said slowly, looking up and up and up.

Mia looked at him and tried to follow his gaze. “There’s nothing there, Kai.” She said.

“Is this because I said I don’t like squid?” Kaito asked.

Egyn glanced over. “Oh. It’s just a kraken.”

“…”

“…”

“Krakens exist?” Mia demanded. Then, “do they taste like squid?”

“I- I don’t- I’ve never tried!” Egyn defended himself.

“How would you even eat something you can’t see?” Kaito retorted.

“Close my eyes and let you feed me.” Mia said immediately.

A long pause.

“Are we gonna crash?” Mia asked, watching as the yacht floated closer and closer to the ripple. “Just so you know, Kaito can’t swim.”

“I can’t.” Kaito agreed. “And Mia swims like a drowning rat.”

“Excuse you? At least compare me to something other than a rat!” Mia huffed.

“An ugly seal then.” Kaito said.

“Hey.” Egyn said. The two of them turned to look at him. Egyn wasn’t looking at them, staring up at the kraken with a scary look in his eyes. “Go away.”

“…Damn. That was badass.” Kaito said.

“What? What happened? Tell me!” Mia grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

* * *

“Damn.” Mia said on the fourth day out at sea.

“What’s wrong?” Kaito asked, glancing at her.

“I ran out of anti-depressants.” Mia showed him a container with only one pill.

“That’s your emergency stash, isn’t it?” Egyn said flatly. It seemed to be his default mode lately – perpetual exasperation. “You forgot to pack your medicine again.”

Mia looked away guiltily.

“And you’ve gone straight from social anxiety to burning people left and right.” Kaito muttered.

“Like you have any right to say that, Mr. Am-I-Schizophrenic-Or-Not.” Mia scoffed.

“I dunno. It’s pretty reassuring to know that Egyn sees the shadows too.”

“What shadows?” Egyn asked, turning to Kaito.

“…Shit.” Kaito closed his eyes and covered his ears.

Mia burst into laughter.

When she finally calmed down enough to speak without giggling, Mia raised the bag she had brought. “We’re running out of food and drinks too. Might as well stop by a port to restock.”

“Restock?” Egyn repeated. “How long are the two of you going to bum off me?”

“You bummed off us for three years.” Kaito reminded him.

Egyn flinched and looked away. “That-That was…” He stammered.

“Aww, don’t worry ‘bout it, Egyn. We liked having you.” Mia said, slinging an arm over Egyn’s shoulders.

“You were great company.” Kaito agreed.

“You guys… I’m-I’m going to st-steer the boat now!” Egyn said and hurried away.

“He’s so cute.” Mia laughed, resting her chin on a hand.

* * *

“Ahhh, home sweet home.” Mia sighed and collapsed face-first into the couch.

Kaito tossed a bottle of medicine at her. “Take your meds.” He said.

Mia opened the bottle and dry-swallowed a pill.

“You were dead-ish just now, so you probably missed Egyn leaving.” Kaito said.

Now that he mentioned it… Mia looked around and found no sign of the demon.

“He said something about visiting a brother and getting more fuel for his yacht.” Kaito sank down on the other side of the couch. Mia made a sound of acknowledgement.

Kaito slumped, his head looking up at the ceiling. “Time to see if we have any backlog of work.” He sighed, standing up to take his laptop.

“I don’t wanna do work…” Mia grumbled.

There was the sound of fingers on keys. “Not much. Just the usual requests they send to every researcher.” Kaito said.

Mia let out a loud yawn.

“Go take a jog.” Kaito said distractedly.

“I wanna sleep.” Mia mumbled.

“Jog first.” Kaito insisted.

With great reluctance, Mia crawled off the couch and went to change her clothes.

“If Egyn comes by…” Mia said, leaning against the doorway.

“I’ll tell him to wait for you. Go clear your mind.” Kaito waved her away.

* * *

“I’m back! You’ll never guess what happened—” Mia’s eyes bulged out and she almost bit on her tongue.

“…I had that reaction too.” Kaito said. He eyed the bags of groceries in Mia’s hands. “Didn’t you go out for a jog?”

Slowly, Mia set the groceries down on the table. “Egyn… I know I said I’ve seen lots of weird stuff, but… This is definitely one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s more comfortable when no one can see my face.” Egyn said.

Mia peered at him. And poked the octopus. It quivered. “It’s real?” She asked.

Egyn nodded. The octopus’ tentacles nodded along with him.

“…I think the shark costume was cuter.” Mia said.

Kaito deliberated for a moment. “If you want to hide your face…” He abandoned the spot on the couch and rummaged around the cabinets.

“Oh! We still have those carnival masks!” Mia perked up. “I put them in the second drawer.”

Kaito took out multiple masks. “These would be better than wearing a living being.” He said, spreading the masks out on the table.

Egyn pulled the octopus off his neck, looking at the masks with fascination.

“Ooh, I remember getting the fox mask but where did the oni and the skull mask come from?” Mia asked.

“I thought they would be fun for Halloween.” Kaito said.

“I forgot I had a butterfly one too.” Mia picked up a golden mask shaped like a butterfly. “It’s all dusty. We’ll have to wash them.” She blew the dust off and placed the mask in front of Egyn’s face, as if gauging if it would fit him. She hummed in disappointment. It just didn’t work with Egyn’s oceanic aesthetic.

“What about this?” Kaito asked, holding up a blue leather mask, scales carved into them, fins made of a shimmering silk spreading out at the side.

Egyn deliberated, looking from the mask to his octopus.

“Where’d you get the octopus anyway?” Mia asked.

“I picked it up from the ocean.” Egyn said.

“…”

“…”

“I used to have another one for a pet but it died.” Egyn took the mask, dusting away the coating of dust on the leather. He tried it on.

Kaito and Mia stared.

“W-What’s wrong?” Egyn asked, squeezing one of the octopus’ tentacles.

“…Damn.” Mia said.

Kaito worked his jaw, but no words came out.

“You look good.” Mia finally settled on. She plucked the mask off Egyn’s nose. “I’ll go wash this.” She said, turning away.

Kaito made a strangled sound, burying his face in his hands.

* * *

“You know what I always wanted to do?” Mia asked.

“What?” Kaito said. Egyn looked up from where he had been playing with the octopus (named Oodako at Mia’s insistence).

“Dance on the deck of a ship out in the middle of nowhere at sunset!”

“That’s oddly specific.” Kaito noted.

“I haven’t danced in a long time.” Egyn murmured. He picked up the mask lying on a side table and examined it.

Mia watched him with a smile. “But you know how, right? Then that’s good. ‘Cause both Kaito and I have no idea where to start.”

Egyn froze. Slowly, he turned to face her, his expression flat. “Why dance?” He queried.

“I dunno. Just… seems fun. And romantic.” Mia said. Her smile faded as she sat down on the deck, watching the waves splash harmlessly against the yacht. “Not much feels fun anymore.”

The ensuing silence was occupied by the sound of moving water.

“The two of you are the most troublesome humans I’ve ever met.” Egyn complained, setting Oodako on the table. He stood up and walked to Mia, offering her a hand.

Mia stared at it blankly for a full three seconds before she took it.

“I haven’t danced in a long time… so…” Egyn trailed off, leading Mia in a slow dance. “Right foot to the side… Back…”

Mia clumsily tried to follow his more graceful movements. When she was sure she had gotten used to it, she peered up at Egyn. “Thanks.”

Egyn looked at her, wide-eyed. “A-Ah… No… It’s- It’s nothing.” He mumbled.

Mia smiled, wondering if this was what love felt like, the thumping of her heart and how she so dearly wanted to keep going, dancing forever until the sun set and even beyond that. But she had to share. Mia let go of Egyn’s hands. “It’s your turn now, Kaito.” She said, giving the other human a long look.

Kaito stepped up, swiftly switching partners with barely a missed step.

“You’re better at this.” Egyn noted.

“I was watching.” Kaito said.

Mia hurriedly ducked into the cabin, searching for something she knew she had packed… There! Mia took out a wireless speaker and carried it with a hand, using her other to search for songs. The speaker started playing a song. Mia picked up Oodako and set it on the deck chair, placing her speaker and phone on the table.

“My turn to dance with Kai!” Mia said once the song ended. She took Kaito’s hands and twirled around, again and again to the beat of the music. With the last beat of the drum, Kaito spun her and let go. Mia found hands on her shoulders, stopping her from falling or colliding against the railing. A hand travelled down her spine to the small of her back while the other took her hand. Mia laughed as Egyn danced with her. Experimentally, she drew back, pulling their conjoined hands taut, then Egyn pulled, bringing Mia into his arms.

She could feel his breath ghosting against her ear, his touch gentle on her skin.

 _We can stay out here forever,_ she wanted to say. The song ended and Mia took a few steps forwards, distancing herself from Egyn to let Kaito have his dance.

He was happy, too. Whatever gay awakening he had after seeing Egyn pull off that look in his mask was showing. The flush on his ears, that clear single-minded focus on Egyn, ignoring whatever shadowy figures he saw.

It would be her turn to dance with Kaito soon. Mia’s gaze landed on the mask lying on the table.

An idea started to form.

The song was on its last chorus, Mia noted. She picked up the mask. Soon, the next song would start and it would be her turn to dance again. Mia touched the silken fins flared at the sides of the mask, felt the cloth smoothen under her touch. She put the mask back down on the table.

As Kaito took her in his arms, Mia leaned in and whispered in his ear. He nodded lightly in response.

Mia laughed softly and pecked him on the cheek.

Daringly, Mia took a step forwards, moving closer to Kaito. Kaito swept her off her feet, swinging her around in a circle before letting her down. Mia laughed in delight.

When Kaito’s turn was over, Mia stepped to Egyn, offering him her hand. She heard the cabin door open and shut. Again, Egyn led her in a dance, this one much slower than the pace they had been going at, which was faster and faster. It matched the slow pace of the song, and it drove Mia crazy. This close, she wanted to…

She wanted to what?

Mia’s smile changed to a more thoughtful quirk of her lips.

As Egyn took her around in a circle, Mia could see Kaito come out, two masquerade masks in his hands. One a golden, shimmering butterfly, and the other a wolf made out of interlocking silver threads.

Mia separated. Kaito handed Egyn’s mask to her. Mia smiled at Egyn’s almost confused look and put it on him.

“Your turn.” Mia said breathlessly as Kaito handed the other two masks to Egyn.

Egyn looked down at the masks in his hands. The blare of the speaker was almost distracting as Egyn’s fingers lifted her chin.

 _I’m so screwed._ Mia thought as Egyn gently placed the mask upon her nose, bringing the loose strap over her head.

Dizzily, Mia stepped back and watched as Egyn did the same for Kaito.

 _Correction, they were so screwed_. Mia resisted the urge to cover her face even though she knew her cheeks were visibly red underneath the mask.

 _He’s a demon,_ Mia thought, stepping up to Kaito. _I can’t even see his true form._

Not like Kaito who had been seeing visions and demons his whole life.

“Hey.” Kaito murmured. “You’re thinking too much again.”

Mia blinked as she was led along.

“You wanted this. Go have fun.” Kaito continued. He raised a hand and tapped the bridge of her nose, where the golden butterfly mask was perched upon.

Idly, Mia wondered if her face was still red. Her senses were growing fuzzy, as though she was in a dream. It felt like the kind of high she would get after a long night of drinking.

As they moved from one song to the next, time seemed to flow by quickly, and soon, they were dancing under the violet hue of the setting sun.

It was her turn with Egyn again. She glanced over Egyn’s shoulder to Kaito. Kaito gave her a small nod. Daringly, Mia untangled her fingers from Egyn’s. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shyly pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. With a flustered giggle, she disengaged and fell back behind Kaito.

Egyn didn’t move.

“You broke him.” Kaito hissed.

“It wasn’t even a proper kiss.” Mia pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips, her face red. “I didn’t want to come on too strong.”

“Egyn?” Kaito asked, stepping in front of the demon. Experimentally, he snapped his fingers in front of Egyn’s face. No response.

Kaito glanced back at Mia, a thought coming to his mind that made his ears burn. Mia gave him two thumbs-up. Kaito sighed lightly and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Egyn’s cheek.

The song in the background paused as Mia turned off the speaker.

Finally, Egyn reacted. “W-Why?” He asked, obviously affected. Egyn took off his mask, and coming from him, it was one of the highest forms of trust, that he would bare his face to them even while panicking.

“We like you.” Mia said simply. “I know it’s been two years since we spent time together like this, but you’re still the same as ever.”

“You don’t care about my schizophrenia or Mia’s depression either.” Kaito continued. “And you don’t mind going along with our antics. So… If you’ll have us…” Kaito trailed off, his ears burning hotter.

“B-B-But- The both of you, you never- I know you never considered me that way before! Why- Why change your minds now?” Egyn frowned, his eyes darkening as something heavy settled in the air. “Was it because you learnt that I was a demon king?”

Mia and Kaito exchanged glances. Mia held out a hand, seemingly gauging something before she placed it close to her chest. “Egyn, you were this short before.” She said frankly. “And with how high your voice was, we thought you were a kid.”

“I thought he was a teenager. You thought he was a kid.” Kaito corrected her. “Still too young for either of us to even think of hooking up with you. But then you turned out to be much older than both of us.”

Mia pressed her fingers to her mask, right below her eye. “Will you have us,” Mia asked, her tone soft and gentle, “Egyn?”

Egyn turned to her, then Kaito, his eyes unreadable.

 _So this is a demon king_ , Kaito noted. For all that Egyn played along with them, this pressure so similar to his dream of Armumahel was a startling reminder that the introvert was actually capable of killing them both easily.

Slowly, the pressure faded. Kaito let out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. He glanced at Mia who seemed unaffected – she probably hadn’t even realized what was going on.

Egyn walked to Kaito, giving him an almost apologetic pat on the shoulder. He paused, glancing at Kaito, then turning to Mia.

“Will you have us?” Mia repeated. “We won’t blame you if you say no.”

Egyn hesitated. “I don’t know how to love.” He said.

Mia tilted her head. “Is that a no?” She asked, her voice showing no signs of disappointment, just soft understanding.

Egyn shifted, turning his gaze to Kaito who was looking at him the same way. “It- It’s… not a no.” He admitted, finally glancing out at sea where he wouldn’t have to see either of them looking at him so softly that it made his gut wrench in a rare feeling of discomfort.

A hand touched his shoulder gently. “It’s okay.” Mia murmured, cheek pressed to his arm. “Take your time. For you, we’ll gladly give you a lifetime’s worth.”

A lifetime… How short humans lived…

Egyn barely twitched when Kaito occupied his other side.

“It’s fine if you just stick around.” Kaito said, smiling faintly. “We like having you around.”

“Yeah.” Mia added with a giggle. “Who else will tell us off for being idiots?”

* * *

“Okay, no.” Mia said. “Look, genetic modification is good and all, but I much prefer experimenting with viruses and bacteria. There’s just so much potential there. And most importantly, it doesn’t go against the Hippocratic Oath.”

“But a lot of human disorders come from the problem of human genes. If we modify them, the problem will be solved.” Egyn argued back.

Kaito sighed. “This is the problem of being stuck with two researchers.” He muttered.

“If you’re not qualified, then don’t interfere.” Mia said.

“Wha-? I got my doctorate the same time as you!” Kaito protested.

“Yeah, but not for biomeds.” Mia waved him off. “Anyway, human genetic modification is risky and technology just isn’t advanced enough to accomplish that without harming the patients.”

Whatever else Mia was going to say was cut off when the yacht jerked roughly, as though something had slammed against it.

“What… What was that?” Mia asked, stumbling slightly. Kaito stood up from the chair he had been sitting on, rubbing the bruise he had gotten from bumping into the table.

Egyn hurriedly exited the cabin.

Mia and Kaito exchanged a look before running after him.

* * *

“Sometimes I think that two doctors really shouldn’t have the skillsets we do.” Mia commented, scaling the rock easily through years of experience of free-running.

“You think?” Kaito asked sarcasm lacing his words.

“O-kay! Looks like we’re not in Tokyo anymore!” Mia called down. “Somewhere near the north, maybe Aomori?” She hopped down the rock the yacht had crashed into. “I see a port in the distance. Probably Shichirin-Nagahama.”

“Good thing we didn’t end up borrowing someone’s yacht.” Kaito said. “It’d be troublesome having to explain that to the authorities.”

“How would you even explain it in the first place?” Egyn muttered.

“Hack the database.” Kaito said. “Or get Mia to switch up the documents if it’s physical. Mia is very stealthy.”

“You totally made us sound shady. Two shady back-alley doctors.” Mia said.

“We have doctorates,” Kaito refuted, “people with doctorates aren’t back-alley doctors – we’re licensed!”


End file.
